College Basketball 3/2-3/8

[El-Moldo]

As was the disastrous ending to the Pitt football season, losing 5 straight to end the B-Ball season certainly tests each and every Pitt fan. Hopefully, this will gnaw at the players in both sports until their next respective season. Pitt's football team was one of the youngest in the NCAA. Pitt's basketball team had only ONE senior who contributed during the season. Both squads will have to think long and hard about this past season.

[konjo78]

Don't be surprised by Jamie Dixon rumors soon..... This program is heading downhill fast and these recruits he has brought in can not succeed. Time to bring in someone from a mid major to fix the mess Dixon is leaving....


Unfortunately moldo seniors mean 0 anymore in college basketball. Either you are good now or never

[El-Moldo]

Yes, but # of seniors meant a hell of a lot in November, December and January. And Pitt had NONE with Wright hurt for the 1st 12 games. An yes, seniors mean nothing this time of year, but it works both ways for Pitt AND GW. And did you read the stats from Dragon for tonight's game? 44% from the foul line, 16 turnovers, 14 offensive rebounds allowed. Is this Dixon's fault??? He doesn't miss the foul shots. He doesn't throw away the ball. And don't tell me HE is responsible for those stats. Is it a managers fault when his pitcher walks a batter with the bases loaded? Dixon puts his best team on the court. If they don't perform, who's fault is that? konjo, you are beating a dead horse. Dixon's job IS NOT in jeopardy.

[konjo78]

All of those stats fall 100% on the coach, free throws especially. I'd put money on him being gone before April

[DragonsDoExist]

I think Pitt will be ok the next 2 years. I think one of the issues is the PG position. Robinson is a nice player but not the clutch PG that Dixon's successful teams have had. Guys like Krauser, Fields, Gibbs and Woodall would never hesitate to take the big shot and could be counted on when the offense needed a bucket. Robinson is a terrible outside shooter and has actually gotten worse since his freshman year. He's a nice assist/TO guy but not the PG the program has been accustomed to.

[El-Moldo]

O'K. If Dixon is still with the team on April first, then we'll see who truly is the April Fool.

[DragonsDoExist]

Former Pitt football player Jason Pinkston also called for Dixon to be gone on Twitter. I personally disagree and can't see it even being considered.

[upnorth]

I don't think Dixon will be going anywhere, but it has been strange to see Pitt not playing great defense this year. That first half was brutal.

[Crimson's Ghost]

As was the disastrous ending to the Pitt football season, losing 5 straight to end the B-Ball season certainly tests each and every Pitt fan. Hopefully, this will gnaw at the players in both sports until their next respective season. Pitt's football team was one of the youngest in the NCAA. Pitt's basketball team had only ONE senior who contributed during the season. Both squads will have to think long and hard about this past season.

I agree, wasn't ideal finishes but it was the duration of the season that says a lot more about the team than the ending if you ask me. Neither program was all that strong this year, but they do have bright futures. Seems like the football team has already forgotten about the Houston game, and my guess, the basketball team will be over this one quickly (I think they were over this game before it even started truthfully). You don't like to end the season with a few losses in a row, but only a few teams end the season on a win - have to remember that.

Unfortunately moldo seniors mean 0 anymore in college basketball. Either you are good now or never

Actually, as someone that has been a big Pitt basketball fan through the years, I can really attest to that not being the case at all. Pitt's whole program is based off of development and senior experience. With the exception of DeJuan Blair, I can't think of one prominent Pitt player that was as good as they were ever going to be as freshman, and didn't grow into a better player as a senior. Just think about that list of great Pitt players under Dixon, almost all of them became better with time and development. Guys like Artis,Young, Jeter, and Jones all made strides this season as sophomores, and many who watched the team expect that contiuation to continue.

Dixon puts his best team on the court. If they don't perform, who's fault is that? konjo, you are beating a dead horse. Dixon's job IS NOT in jeopardy.

That's a good point Moldo. Pitt simply wasn't all that talented that season. Pitt won some games they probably should NOT have, and maybe lost some they should have. Level it all out in the end, Pitt going 19-15 seems legitimate. Durand Johnson probably gets you 2-3 more wins, and might sneak them into the Big Dance.

I'd put money on him being gone before April

How much?

I think Pitt will be ok the next 2 years. I think one of the issues is the PG position. Robinson is a nice player but not the clutch PG that Dixon's successful teams have had. Guys like Krauser, Fields, Gibbs and Woodall would never hesitate to take the big shot and could be counted on when the offense needed a bucket. Robinson is a terrible outside shooter and has actually gotten worse since his freshman year. He's a nice assist/TO guy but not the PG the program has been accustomed to.

I think Robinson takes more criticism than he deserves, but he isn't as good as those guys and there is no doubt about that. I've talked about part of his struggles, and I think a lot of it had to do with fatigue. Robinson had to guard the other team's best guard quite a bit, and not only that, he couldn't really come off the floor because Newkirk went into a mystifying slump the last month+ of the year. I think Robinson's shooting woes are magnified to a degree because we forget, Pitt's starting shooting guard (Wright) couldn't even make a 3. I think if you stick Robinson on a team like Arizona, he thrives the exact same way McConnell is. He just didn't have a lot around him, and was asked to do more than he should be asked to do. He's a distributor type, not a scoring/attack type.

I don't think Dixon will be going anywhere, but it has been strange to see Pitt not playing great defense this year. That first half was brutal.

Yeah, it's not like them to not play great defense, but this roster was pretty average and had some serious holes. I think things will certainly get better next season.

[Crimson's Ghost]

Having attended tonight's game, it's really hard to take anything away from it. Pitt basically went through the motions for a good part of the game, took contested jumpers half the time, just flat-out didn't hustle...at all.

Pitt isn't the first team to not try in the NIT, and they won't be the last. I mean look at Illinois, they got crunched by Alabama who just fired their coach. Some teams have different perspectives about this tournament, and when Pitt commits 20 turnovers (many unforced or were for lack of effort) it summed up what I need to know about where their heads were in this one.

Still if Pitt won the NIT or lost tonight, I still expect their ACC record of 8-10 this season to at-least jump to about 10-8 or 11-7, and Pitt will be back in the tournament as well. Nothing changes for me about the end of the season outcome, I really like what is returning and I like what is coming in vs. what they are losing.

Pitt is losing Cam Wright, and he is the only player of substance this is leaving. Derrick Randall is also leaving, and he stinks. Pitt is also not expected to have Joe Uchebo or Tyrone Haughton on the team either, and both of those guys free up roster spots and Pitt may be able to use those to their advantage in bringing in a quality recruit or transfer. So in terms of what is leaving, I can't say Jamie Dixon is losing much sleep over it.

In terms of what we know is coming into the team next year, you have Durand Johnson a 6'6" senior wing that was expected to be one of the team's best players this season. He adds athleticism on the wing, and he is a fearless shooter. You will also have Cameron Johnson coming off an injury. He will have 4 years of eligibility. He is also athletic and is a noted outside shooter. Pitt is bringing in gigantic 7 foot JuCo Rozelle Nix to the fold, and he should help right away and be able to play a little more than Pitt's centers this past year. Last but not least, you have a four-star top 100 Guard from NYC, Damon Wilson. He will see the floor for certain, and if he can shoot a 3, he may already be a step above Cam Wright. PLUS, Pitt will have 2 scholarships to increase the talent level.

In terms of what is returning, they'll have Robinson as a four year starter at PG, like I mentioned not one of Pitt's best PG's ever, but one that can run the show, and will succeed with a better team around him. Jamel Artis and Mike Young are already two of the best forwards in the ACC as sophomores, and should continue to be the nucleus for this team. Sheldon Jeter is a guy I expect will improve, his 6-8 athletic frame started to develop during the season, and another off-season will do him wonders. Chris Jones went from a 2 point a game guy, to to close to 9 a game. He should continue to progress. Josh Newkirk has skills, just needs to figure them out, and Ryan Luther has promise too.


Next year's team will be good, the team in two years will be expected to compete for an ACC Championship. Also, little nugget of information, but Pitt's 2016 recruiting class is currently ranked 2nd. I know it won't stay that way, but Pitt has two very good players already committed.